The Japanese government has decided to suspend new entries of all non-resident foreign nationals following the detection of variants of the coronavirus outside the country.
The government will implement the measure between December 28 and January 31.
Sources say a pilot who stayed in Britain and a member of his family have tested positive for a new variant of the coronavirus and are being hospitalized in Tokyo.
The National Institute of Infectious Diseases analyzed samples collected from them.
Japanese authorities had reported 3,877 new cases of the coronavirus as of 8 p.m. on Saturday.
They reported 47 deaths, including 11 in Osaka, 10 in Tokyo, 8 in Hyogo and 6 in Aichi.
The Japanese government has decided to suspend new entries of foreign nationals in an effort to stop the influx of a new coronavirus variant.
The new strain has been spreading outside Japan in at least 14 countries and one territory. It is believed to be more contagious than the original virus.
The Japanese government has tightened its rules for travelers from South Africa, where a new variant of the coronavirus was detected.
Japan started refusing arrivals from South Africa on Saturday. Japanese and non-Japanese who have resident status in Japan are allowed entry. But they are being asked to self-quarantine for 14 days on arrival in the country.
The Japanese government plans to seek an early conclusion to talks with the administration of president-elect Joe Biden on its share of the cost of stationing US forces in the country. Biden is set to take office next month.
The two countries have not reached an agreement in working-level talks which started last month. It is unusual for the discussions to stretch to the following year.
The Japanese government faces both technical and policy challenges in reaching the goals it has set to achieve net-zero emission of greenhouse gases by 2050.
The government compiled specific targets for 14 sectors on Friday.
A Japanese organization combating online pirated manga has estimated that losses from the illegal versions reached the worst monthly level in November.
The Authorized Books of Japan, or ABJ, says websites showing pirated titles have been cropping up.
Japan's health minister says five people returning from Britain have tested positive for a new variant of the coronavirus.
Tamura Norihisa told reporters on Friday night that the five were earlier found to be infected with the coronavirus after tests at two airports in Japan.
Japan's health ministry says it will tighten entry restrictions on travelers from South Africa in response to the spread there of a relatively highly contagious variant of the new coronavirus. The ministry officials say that the stepped-up measures will take effect on Saturday.
They say Japan will refuse new entrants from South Africa for the time being. They added Japanese and non-Japanese who have residential status in Japan will be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days when they enter the country.
Japan's health ministry says five people who returned to Japan from Britain have tested positive for a new variant of the coronavirus.
The five were earlier found to be infected with the coronavirus at an airport in Japan.
The Japanese government has come up with a concrete action plan to achieve net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050.
The Committee on the Growth Strategy adopted the plan on Friday. It says measures to deal with climate change are not a costly impediment for the economy but an opportunity for new growth.
Japanese institutions have started a clinical trial for a COVID-19 drug containing antibodies collected from people who recovered from the disease, as part of an international program.
The program is funded by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. From Japan, the National Center for Global Health and Medicine and Fujita Health University jointly launched a trial.
Japanese authorities have reported more than 3,200 new coronavirus cases so far on Wednesday -- the highest daily tally ever.
Nationwide, more than 200,000 people have tested positive. The total number of deaths is 3,058.